The effect of neonicotinoids over the biological properties of Chilean native honeys

In Chile, honeys are produced from native species with important attributes due to its phenolic compounds inherited from specific floral sources.

However, in many cases beehives are located nearby to crops and therefore, there are potential exposition to small amounts of pesticides used for pest control. Thus, those pesticides may affect the final composition of honeys and its natural biological properties may be modified.

Samples of Chilean unifloral honey were obtained from different zones of Chile. By Solid Phase Extraction procedure and liquid chromatography (UPLC-MS/MS), the following neonicotinoids were assessed: Imidacloprid, Acetamiprid, Thiamethoxam and Thiacloprid. Honeys with positives results were selected for further studies. The same chromatographic analysis was used for determining the phenolic profiles of those samples. The Folin-Ciocalteu reagent was used for the determination of total phenolic compounds. The measurements of the antioxidant and antiradical activities were made by colorimetric methods (FRAP and DPPH) for detecting the effect of neonicotinoids over these activities.

In this work, the results of the detection of pesticides in Chilean honeys are showed and the changes in their biological activities are discussed.

Funded by INICIO VRI-PUC 16/2013 Grant to Dr. Enrique MEJIAS